Abstract
The paper is a brilliant example of qualitative research. It uses the grounded theory approach and thus can serve as a good template for anyone attempting such research. It includes all the Appendices, which cover the transcription, coding, data recoding, and group coding with full explanations. It is mainly concerned with the binge drinking phenomenon among male students and provides plenty of references to further your own research.

From the Paper
"In recent years media and press have devoted much time to exposing the increasing problem of binge drinking within the population, especially among university and college students. (For the purpose of this study the Jones's definition of binge drinking as having four or more drinks in a row will be used (2003)). The aim has been to increase public awareness of the fact that it is a problem within society, through in-depth reports, Panorama specials and visual aids of intoxicated individuals. I feel, however, that it is of great interest to investigate why so many students do drink in excess despite being constantly warned of the dangers involved. It is important to dwell deeper and attempt to understand the meanings associated with binge drinking from the students themselves. As Jones (2003) pointed out: "the main way in which psychology can contribute is an understanding of the context in which most UK students' consumption takes place, and how this interacts with behavior"."

Tags:grounded, psychology, sociology, theory

Abstract
The paper discusses attribution theories that argue that people look for another's attributes to explain their patterns of behaviour and highlights the concerns raised with this theory. The paper then discusses the theory that focuses on the use of social stereotypes in interpersonal interaction and explains the behavioural strengthening process employed by perceivers that adds to the self-fulfilling nature of the stereotype. The paper concludes that even the attribution theory is little more than a stereotype as we rely on our inferred qualities, and not the true situation, to make judgements.

From the Paper
"With regard to impression formation and social interaction, we find two key theoretical areas promoting alternative cognitive and behavioural processes. It is noted that both theoretical approaches are not without their criticisms, but that they also approach the process of dyadic impression formation in subtly different ways.
"The first of these theories are 'attribution theories', in which it is argued, within social interactions participants are continually (albeit, perhaps subconsciously) looking for causation of behaviour in the target partner and from these attributes, inferring the qualities of said person to explain their patterns of behaviour. Participants then assess the situational factors they are in and then 'adjust those inferences' (Gilbert et al. 1988: p733). (e.g., what qualities does target 'X' have that have made them act in such a way? Has the current situation forced or inhibited the actions?)"

Tags:attribution, qualities, stereotypes, judgements, assessments

Abstract
In 1950, Adorno, Frenkel-Brunswick, and Levinson and Sanford delved into the concept of the authoritarian personality (TAP). Some of their prime assumptions include that those with TAP are submissive to authority and look to them for the definitions of right and wrong; that they are prejudiced towards an out-group, which they consider weak and inferior. The present study is based on these assumptions. An opportune sample of 100 male students of "hard sciences" were given a questionnaire assessing their susceptibility to an authoritarian source of information over that of a non-authoritarian source, along with Rokeach's Dogmatism scale (measuring authoritarianism). No significant correlation was found between the two factors. Although the findings do not support Adorno, et. al.'s assumptions, they provide evidence for forthcoming theories.

From the Paper
"Hitler, Mussolini and many other political and national leaders of the 1930-1950 period adopted and pushed authoritarianism as a strong challenge to democracy. Followers flocked to their banners" (Whitten, 1976, p.622). In an attempt to explain this phenomenon, Adorno, Frenkel-Brunswick, Levinson and Sanford (1950, which will be referred to in the text as AFLS) carried out a search for possible roots and causes of the Authoritarian Personality (TAP) type. Starting at the roots of anti-Semitism, it became a psychological study of ethnocentrism based on Freudian Psychodynamic theory. A person with TAP was defined as "a potentially fascistic individual, one whose structure is such as to render him particularly susceptible to anti-democratic propaganda" and these individuals "exhibit numerous characteristics that go together to form a syndrome", Adorno et al (1950, p.1). These were conventionalism, authoritarian submission, authoritarian aggression, superstition and stereotypy, power and toughness, destructiveness and cynicism, projectivity, concern with sexual goings-on and dogmatism. Some argued that this definition was too limited and too concerned with political opinion, thus defining it as "the desire to impose one's will on others" Ray (1976 cited in Louw-Potgieter (2001), p.78)."

Tags:authoritarianism, sample, study

Abstract
This paper attempts to identify the collective agency of minority groups in U.K. society, the structures that influence them and then comments on the effects of such.

From the Paper
"Language also influences the way we are seen by our workmates. British English has lots of please & thank you's & is concerned about the feelings of others. But English from other countries can be more or less direct, use fewer 'please & thank you s' . The tone & syntax can be mis-interpreted too. Carter quoted non white workers who noted that 98% of disciplinary cases involved ethnic minorities' workers, felt that discipline was heavy handed with non white workers & that white workers were inexperienced in working with ethnic minorities."

Tags:act, culture, equal, language, media, opportunities, race, society

Abstract
This paper examines the theoretical assumptions underlying psychoanalysis and social psychology and how these approaches attempt to explain the concept of gender, particularly within the context of 'the family'. It provides both an overview of these approaches together with critiques of their respective strengths and weaknesses.

From the Paper
"Feminist object relations theory postulates that early interpersonal interactions within the family lay the foundations for the development of the mind, and hence individual identity, which then becomes the basis for later relations with others. In contrast to Freudian psychoanalysis, which emphasizes the importance of the father, advocates of this approach argue that it is mothers, as the primary caregivers, and with whom children spend most of their time, that are the formative influence for both boys' and girls' sense of gender identity. Chodorow (1978, 1989) suggests that although the sex of the child is biologically determined, the forms that masculinity and femininity take are social constructions, born out of the mother/infant dyad, which itself reflects the sexual division of labor within society."

Tags:constructionism, determinism, feminism, freud, identity, psychoanalysis, psychology, social, theory

Abstract
This paper provides an in depth explanation of occupational mental health practice. The author discusses those circumstances in the work environment which effects the behaviors of the workers and which influence personal well being and the performance of a job. The author provides explanations about causes of work maladjustment and treatments for the symptoms.

From the Paper
""Occupational mental health practice concerns those circumstances in the work environment which effects the thoughts, feelings and behaviors of the workers and which influence personal well being and the performance of a job. The goals are to promote conditions favorable to mental health in the workplace and to identify and modify unfavorable conditions" (Mickleburgh, 1986 page 426). There are various approaches or models that attempt to explain occupational adjustment. These approaches are viewed in a variety of ways. They vary from biological, psychological and sociocultural perspectives."

Tags:employee, employer, health, organization, work, adjustment, relation, health

Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that counselling is a critical part of the social worker's professional weaponry not least because it forms a core skill used to communicate and build relationships among those involved in care. The writer points out that of course, it is possible for the social worker to utilize his or her own personal experiences as a guide which would have accumulated, as any citizen would, through the process of socialization. But the kind of people a normal citizen would commonly have dealings with would necessarily be selective - it would merely encompass a relatively narrow circle of family, relatives and friends from similar social and ethnic backgrounds. The writer maintains that what sets professional social workers apart is that they are forced to confront a diversity of people from all walks of life who bring with them their own sets of distinctive problems, beliefs and cultures, for which even the most experienced individual might be ill-equipped.

From the Paper
"At its most basic, counselling takes into serious consideration verbal and non-verbal speech as well as listening skills. Impressions that clients take away from even the most fleeting of encounters matter: if the speed at which counselling is provided is either too fast or too slow; if the nature of conversation is formal or informal; if the tone of voice, pitch and loudness differ - all this can lead to divergent experiences that leave a more indelible mark rather than the contents of what is said. Equally important would be the skill to listen, providing reassurances to the speaker to express themselves freely and openly. Resisting the temptation to interrupt, avoid misunderstanding, using body language, choosing the right environment in which to talk would be some key skills, while non-verbal skills, such as gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, orientation, touch and proximity to the speaker are important ways in which social workers can engage in fruitful communication."

Tags:socialization, social, worker, relationships

Abstract
This paper outlines the steps involved in constructing a Likert (1932) scale to evaluate university students' attitude towards vivisection and addresses issues both within the scale itself and in the broader context of all measurements of attitude. Ultimately, it questions the usefulness of attitude scales in light of their unavoidable limitations given the complexity of the hypothetical construct they seek to evaluate.

From the Paper
"Reliability interacts with validity and where reliability is high ("equal to or more than .80" - Oppenheim, B, 1988), as with the Likert scale, validity will tend to be also, but its fundamental shortcoming, which it shares with other attitude scales, is that construct validity of the attitude concept itself is questionable. No external factual criterion exists against which declared attitudes may be defined and calibrated: for example, group membership or voting habits - seemingly objective measures - may be mediated by situational or pragmatic factors (Oppenheim, 1966). Declared attitude, as measured by self-report rating scales, may not wholly - or at all - correspond to the attitude held and thus it follows that predictive validity also tends to be poor."

Tags:vivisection, thurstone

Abstract
This paper provides a detailed analysis of the various types of leadership styles that interpret organizational structure, procedure and culture. The author discusses three types of leadership styles these being; charismatic, transactional and transformational leadership and the effect of transformational leadership on organizational culture.

From the Paper
"Many believe that leadership is simply the ability to make people do what you want them to do with as much will, determination and enthusiasm as possible. In other words, leadership is getting people to do what you want them to do without introducing methods of coercion (Robbins, 1998). This is easy and straight- forward in theory, but in practice leadership is a complex phenomena with an interplay of many aspects. Leadership is composed of many levels of relationships, contacts with people and situations that may arise. It is a mixture of give and take between the leader and his or her followers as well as influences from the outside environment on their relations. Leadership is therefore a complex interaction of situations, contexts and people."

Tags:manage, organize, lead, culture, employee, employer, relation

Abstract
This paper examines how the presence of others affects our performance and behavior. The author argues that the presence of others effects simple/practiced tasks and complex ones differently. Included is an analysis of group consensus and conformity, social impact theory, and a look at possible outcomes such as: diffusion of responsibility and pluralistic ignorance.

From the paper:

"Our behavior is influenced in many ways by the actions, views and mere presence of those around us. Many studies in Social Psychology have been carried out on how this influence effects us and how much. It seems that the presence of an audience is beneficial only when the task at hand is simple or well practiced. If not, the audience causes performance to get worse. When acting as part of a group, individuals tend to conform to a common group consensus. This is especially the case when such a consensus in unanimous. However, minorities do have the ability to change group norms or perceptions. Individuals are less likely to help those who maybe in trouble when there are other potential helpers around. This is mainly due to pluralistic ignorance and diffusion of responsibility. Social impact theory states that the level of influence on an individual depends on the number, status and proximity of the observers as well as on whether he is acting alone or with others."

Tags:asch, baron, bystander, conformity, cottrell, diffusion, fright, ignorance, impact, intervention, pluralistic, responsibility, sherif, social, stage, theory, zajonc